Walk, trot, LOPE!

5/3/2010 May and bike with a buggy.
This is ride fifteen! I lunged her a bit, but other than that did no ground work. I got up and immediately we needed to do a fair amount of the "stand still game".  She moves, I bend her until she stops. She moves, repeat.   After she could stand, we walked and trotted with lots of turning, sideways and keeping her under me.  Mainly I am  trying to keep her soft and relaxed. Got pretty nice.

We left the arena.  I took her around the property and we started to head out, but I saw a bike with a buggy coimng down the hill.  I turned around and got down the driveway as far as I could without rushing her and turned her to face it.  We were pretty far away--50 feet?  She got wide-eyed and jumped sideways.  I urged her forward up onto the road so she could  "chase" it down the street. She seemed to get a kick out of that!

We left the property. We got across the street and I headed her the steep trail.  She had a bit of time getting her butt in gear to push herself up!  I only took her to the top of the  hill.  Then we came back down (nice body control on the steep!).  We went into the arena and did the gate SO WELL! Did the bridge, too! Great way to end!

Tabooli didn't buck at all.
We did the compulsory trailer loading and he was in and out easily.  In the roumd pen I tied the tarp on him but it fell off and dragged.  His reponse:  he didn't like it so he loped casaully around while dragging it. It fell off and he stopped. His lope was so slow and candenced it was not entirely clear he was bugged, but I think he was.

I got on--no biggie. We sat there. I got off. Got on. Sat there, asked him to bend his head and he did, after a bit, of ask, wait, ask wait, more pressure, oh a give!  Less pressure.  Then, he then he walked off and was mainly really calm.  One time he tried to turn back, and he was darn quick, but I stopped him and that was fine. He stopped on my voice!

5/4 and 5/5.
Drove to Lubbock! My daughter had an awards banquet for soccer and as she is a senior in college and will graduate next weekend, I went! It was really fun! Then I drove back and went to a back country horseman's meeting.  Packing clinic coming up on Saturday!

5/6/2010 Trottin' Tabooli. That sort of sounds like a problem a tourist might have....!  No trailer loading because the trailer is getting its brakes adjusted and its bearings repacked (along with a 17 point saftey inspection.... all for only 19.99 and you get a free set of ginzu knvies--just kidding on the 19.99 and the knives part--200 + dollars)  So, I tied him to the arena fence and tossed up the pad.  Tossed up the saddle and ...he pulled back and jumped sideways! I asked him what he thought he was doing and he said "I dunno" and looked kind of sheepish. We rearranged the whole kit and started again.  This time he was fine!

I asked him to run around the round pen, which was evidently too much effort for this warm and windy day.  I had to step up and TELL him!  I did a bit more move the body parts stuff and then prepared and got on.  He was completely at ease.  He bent his head for me and then just stood there! No stand still games needed for him. Instead I had to get off and go get a rope so I could flop it over and and back on his withers to get him to move at all!  At the same time I was clucking and bumping with my legs. 

Finally got some movement! and I worked some to keep him going.  He turned decently, stopped decently, bent him to a stop by bending his head in towards my feet and pushing his hind quarters away.  That all went so well, might as well trot.  I stepped it up with the rope on him and finally go ol lard ass to get a move on! Got him into a trot!  Smooth and easy!

Maybelle lopes!
I was gettng short of time--had to head out to work with a Navajo pony and help my friend with her Fjord, so decided to stay in the round pen with the idea of working on the lope today. May is very comfortable in the round pen and didn't fuss with her head or the bit. We had to do a little stand still work, but not much. We then walked and bent and stopped and trotted both slow and more forward.

She worked on giving her head and neck and shoulders with leg yeilds and lateral neck bending.  Pretty soft.  We then did a leg yeild with her head to the outside and hip to the inside and I asked her to lope using my legs and voice.  I kept her head outside and hip inside and she broke into a nice lope--for 2 steps!  We worked on some other body control things and then headed the other way and got the lope there, too.

She managed to lope both directions on the correct lead, quietly, for about 1.5 laps each way.  We finished by opening the round pen gate....which we could not shut until the 3rd try.  But we got it!  Yeah!